“The entire village is in mourning. We feel that someone from our family has died today,” Altaf Hussain told PTI, a local schoolteacher, reflecting the collective sorrow gripping the community.
Singh, who passed away at 92 in New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Thursday night, spent his early years in Gah. Known affectionately as “Mohna” by his friends, Singh’s journey from this village to the corridors of power in India remains a source of immense pride for the villagers.
A life remembered
Manmohan Singh was born on February 4, 1932, to Gurmukh Singh, a cloth merchant, and Amrat Kaur, a homemaker. His early education began at the local primary school in Gah, where his admission details are meticulously recorded: admission number 187, dated April 17, 1937.
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The village, surrounded by lush green fields and accessible via the M-2 motorway, was originally part of Jhelum district before being integrated into Chakwal in 1986.
Hussain, who now teaches at the same school where Singh studied until class 4, highlighted the emotional bond the village still shares with its distinguished son.
“Dr Manmohan Singh could not come to Gah in his lifetime. But now, when he is no more, we want someone from his family to visit this village,” he said.
A village mourns
A condolence meeting was held in Gah, where villagers expressed their sorrow and paid tribute to Singh. Raja Ashiq Ali, the nephew of Singh’s childhood friend Raja Muhammad Ali, addressed the gathering, recounting the deep connection the former prime minister had with the village.
“All these villagers are deeply moved… They were eager to attend his last rites in India, but it is not possible. So they are here to mourn,” said Ashiq Ali.
The village’s association with Singh gained renewed attention when he became India’s prime minister in 2004. Local authorities undertook the renovation of the school where Singh studied, with discussions about naming it in his honour. His rise to prominence also spurred development initiatives in Gah, according to villagers.
Memories of a bond
Before the Partition, Singh’s family moved to Amritsar, but the memories of his childhood in Gah lingered. In 2008, Singh invited his schoolmate, Raja Muhammad Ali, to visit him in Delhi—a meeting that became a cherished memory for the village. Ali passed away in 2010, along with other friends from that era, further severing ties with Singh’s roots.
Dr Manmohan Singh with his school friend Raja Mohammad Ali in Delhi, 2008.
Now, with news of Singh’s passing, the villagers feel the loss deeply. “We are still overwhelmed by the memory of the days when everyone in the village felt proud that a boy from our village had become the prime minister of India,” said Ashiq Ali.
For Gah, the legacy of ‘Mohna’ remains a poignant reminder of shared histories and enduring bonds, transcending borders and time.
